Romance and Adventure for Kel
by Novalphiel
Summary: Kel has found romance at last(read to find out who!!) and goes back to build New Hope (after Lady Knight, but doesn't really matter if you have read it) and have more adventures. She also discovers that now that she has her shield, love isn't such a bad t
1. KEL AND DOM'S CHAT

All these characters belong to Tamora Pierce, so I do not take any credit for them! Also please R/R my original story called Seeking the Sword of Norin!!  
  
  
  
KEL AND DOM'S CHAT  
  
  
  
Kel walked into the cozy conference room in Steadfast. The numerous wedding celebrations had just concluded. They had left her tired and weary. The thought of her comfy bed waiting in her chamber was almost too much, but she was here to chat with Dom about recent events and anything that happened to come to their minds.  
  
"Hello Kel, you are a picture of excitement tonight," Dom told her as he entered the room silently. Kel jumped, startled that she had not heard him.  
  
"I hate it when you do that," she told him. What am I doing? She thought to herself. I am acting motherly again. Dom just grinned at her with an impish smile on his face. Just then Kel could definitely tell that Dom and Neal where related.  
  
"Neal's and Raoul's weddings were lovely, but I would prefer something a little more placate myself. But enough about the this weeks celebrations. How are you?" he asked her.  
  
"I've been fine so far, but I will hate to return to the work that awaits me at New Hope. I thought that it was bad the first time! Will you be returning to New Hope with me to help retrain the refugees?" Kel couldn't help but feel a little anxiety. She had recently been thinking a lot about this talk of theirs.  
  
Dom was a little puzzled at the sudden question, but shrugged it off as a little too much drink from the festivities. "Raoul asked me the same question. I agreed. You need someone to look after you, to keep you from getting into too much trouble." He grinned at her, but felt as if he had said just a little too much.  
  
"Good, I need all the help I can get," Kel replied.  
  
They continued in conversation like this for another hour. The time was growing late and neither of them could stifle their yawns much longer.  
  
"Well, all this excitement and food and drink have about done me in for this evening. I think that it is about time that we retire and sleep off the after effects of the celebrations. What do you think?" Kel asked Dom.  
  
"A very good idea indeed," Dom answered. Neither one of them could muster enough energy to pull themselves from their chairs near the fire.  
  
Finally Dom managed to pull himself from his seat. He offered a hand to Kel to help her rise. She took his hand with a murmured thanks and proceeded to haul herself up from the chair. When she was standing upright, she found that Dom had not moved out of her way or released her hand. She looked up into his gorgeous hazel eyes framed by long black lashed with a confused look. When their eyes met, Dom leaned down and gently, almost timidly, kissed her. Kel let herself sink into his arms. They finally pulled away for air.  
  
Neither one said anything, but Dom walked Kel back to her chamber. When they reached her door, he enveloped her in arms, and kissed her more soundly and passionately. He then turned and walked back to his quarters leaving Kel there to ponder the last few moments.  
  
  
  
I hope you enjoyed my first chapter. I need at least 10 reviews before I will post another chapter!! Thanks!! 


	2. BACK TO NEW HOPE

All the characters still belong to Tamora Pierce (GENIUS), and I still don't take credit for any characters.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
BACK TO NEW HOPE  
  
  
  
A week later, Kel and a fraction of the soldiers that she had brought as an escort rode out of Steadfast. They were headed back to New Hope to continue the work that had to be done before midwinter. Kel was beginning to feel a little anxious about being gone so long. She still felt responsible for the massacre at Haven the previous year.  
  
She signaled her men to pick up the pace to cover more ground in what remained of the day. The men laughed and joked with one another to pass the time. Some were disappointed at leaving the nice cozy fort, but most were in high spirits.  
  
Kel was a little irritated at having to leave over half of her squad with Lord Wyldon. She felt way too vulnerable. She rode with Dom's squad and Neal only. Twenty-six men plus their warhorses were not enough to prevent casualties in a skirmish with roaming Scanrans.  
  
Thinking of Dom made her smile. They had not had anymore such encounters with Dom over the last week. They had behaved as they always had. That puzzled Kel.  
  
Just then, two of her sentries came riding back a full gallop. One of them was sporting an arrow to the forearm.  
  
"About thirty of them. A quarter of a mile ahead. Just over the ridge," the unscathed sentry reported to Kel, inhaling every few words.  
  
"PREPARE FOR COMBAT!!" Kel roared over all of the sudden commotion. A skill she had learned from Lord Wyldon and Lord Raoul. She did not want to leave enemies at her back. There was a plethora of chaos in the next few moments. All the men were quickly readying their gear and mounts; the smiles vanishing from their faces.  
  
Once everyone was prepared, Kel gave the signal to ride forward to the top of the rise. They were at the tip in moments looking down on their enemies. Before the raiders had a chance to gather weapons and assemble, Kel's group was upon them. The fight was short, due to the fact that the Scanrans were ill equipped and still half asleep and drunk.  
  
After all the Scanrans lay dead at their feet, did Kel look around to survey the damage on her own troops. One man had a deep gash on his left arm and was being looked after by Neal, and another sported a shallow cut across his face, not unlike Lord Wyldon's. Many of the others had small cuts and incoming bruises, but none were dead much to Kel's relief.  
  
They piled up the bodies of the dead raiders and torched them. Kel hated to leave behind corpses, no matter whose they were. Since the entire troop was bone-weary and needed to rest, Kel decided that they should move on down the road to a fresher spot and set up camp for the night. They could still travel a few more hours with the daylight remaining, but it wasn't worth the risk.  
  
"Move out!" she called to her soldiers, "We will ride for another mile as to camp peacefully."  
  
"When should we be reaching New Hope?" Dom asked, "I will feel much better with a few feet of stone wall around me."  
  
"We should arrive near midday," she replied, "I don't like being out here and vulnerable like this either."  
  
After the horses were cared for, they set up camp and turned in early for the night. They were up again bright and early the next morning to make their way back, to what they called, home.  
  
They reached New Hope a little after noon, and were greeted with cheers from the inhabitants. All in the company were thoroughly shocked at the progress that had been made in the short two weeks that they were gone. After a few brief hellos, the returning defense force made their way to the barracks as Kel went to hear the report from Merric.  
  
Merric had obviously not heard their welcoming, and was engrossed in the parchment he was reading.  
  
"Everything held here as I can obviously see," Kel drawled from the doorway. Merric jumped; startled that anyone could sneak up on him.  
  
"Kel! I'm sorry I didn't go out to greet you, but this is very pressing," he said in the most business-like manner he could muster after the shock. Kel walked over to his desk, and before he could react, she swiped the parchment from his hand. Written on it was a love letter from a certain female he was involved with back at Corus.  
  
"Very pressing. I see," she told him mockingly, "On scented paper no less."  
  
"Kel, you always know how to spoil my fun," he scolded her laughing. To Kel's surprise, Merric stood from his desk and embraced her warmly. "I am so glad you are back. I didn't know what a tough job you had until I had to do it. I envy you no longer."  
  
"Glad to give me back all the responsibility already, are you?" she teased him, "Enough. Tell me how you got so much done in so little time. We must be weeks ahead of schedule!"  
  
Merric proceeded to tell Kel about the last two weeks proceedings, including combat training and the plans for planting crops. Kel was amazed at how well he kept records of all that occurred. Down to the last complaint. 'Merric never ceases to amaze me,' she thought to herself.  
  
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The next few weeks passed uneventfully. Kel was relieved to have a little time to rest and sort out her thoughts and plans, including Dom. She had seen how Merric handled things while she was gone and decided to take a little of the load off of her shoulders. She offered building and planting chief officer to Merric. He gladly accepted, beaming with pride that Kel noticed his hard work.  
  
Kel was sitting in her study when she heard a soft knock on new oak door.  
  
"Come in, please," she responded to the tap. Dom peeked his head in.  
  
"May I have a quick word with you Kel, if you are not too busy," he inquired.  
  
"Of course," she replied, "What's on your mind?" she asked. She and Dom had been strictly on business terms since their meeting night. Kel was disappointed at first, but she was hesitant to say anything to him.  
  
  
  
Cliffhanger, you gotta love 'em!  
  
Please review for me to post more chapters. I ask for reviews before I continue to write and post because if no one is reading it, then I don't want to waste my time going though the steps. So if you would like me to continue to write this f/f, please review it. 


	3. NEW HOPE'S FIRST BATTLE

NEW HOPE'S FIRST BATTLE  
  
"What's on your mind?" Kel asked Dom as Yamani calm as she could muster. Her heart was beating rapidly.  
  
"Umm.well.I was just wondering." Dom stuttered. 'Why was he so agitated?' Kel wondered. She had never seen him like this before. He was usually calm and sarcastic, like Neal. "My men will soon get a little restless here without any action, so I was wondering if they could help with the refugee training?" 'This is what he was so disquieted about? There is definitely something else.' Kel thought to herself.  
  
Coming out of her trance-like silence and realizing that Dom was staring at her strangely, she hastily replied, "Yeah sure. We need all the help we can get. I trust that you can organize your men to their strengths with the training."  
  
"Of course. I was just checking to make sure you didn't have a problem with it. I will attend to the instructing rosters immediately." He replied with a little more confidence.  
  
"Excellent. You are dismissed, if there isn't anything else you can to see me about." She told him with just a hint of anxiety in her usually placid voice.  
  
"No, that's all," he replied with a strained smile.  
  
Kel sighed inwardly. She had hoped he had come to see her for more personal reasons, but apparently wine had just gotten the better of him that night. That's what Kel had feared. She was just the source of some excitement one boring night. "All right, good luck with the training," she said at last. She then returned her attention to the paper she had been previously reading, assuming Dom would take his leave. A few moments later, Kel realized that her hadn't moved.  
  
"Was there something else?" she asked puzzled. 'Why is he standing there like that?' she thought fretfully. There was a long tense silence. 'Why won't he say something!?' she thought. She could take the silence no longer. "SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT!" she exploded.  
  
"Us, Kel. What about us? Is there an us?" he replied calmly as if not acknowledging the fact that she had just screamed at him.  
  
"I don't know Dom. What happened the other night?" she asked him.  
  
"I don't know, but I want more of it. Kel," he told her softly. "You've been acting as though it never happened. I thought you weren't interested anymore," he continued with just a hint of anger rising in his voice, which irritated Kel.  
  
"Well I'm sorry for not fawning over you like all the other court ladies!" she screamed at him, not quite sure what had gotten her so upset. Dom looked absolutely shocked and hurt at her words. Obviously that was not the reply he had hoped for.  
  
"Is that what you think? I just fool around with whomever I feel like? Kel, I thought you knew me better than that," he yelled back and stormed out of her office, missing the tears that had started streaming down her cheeks.  
  
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'They're back!' Kel screamed to herself in utter panick. The black killing devices were here in New Hope and murdering her people without restraint. To her horror, they were now killing everyone and taking no prisoners. She heard a scream behind her. She whirled around and saw a device tear apart her friend and son-figure Tobe. Then, he picked up a man's body and turned him to face Kel. It was Dom.  
  
"NOO!" Kel cried. She ran toward the machine with anger in her heart, ignoring the fact that she was completely unarmed. He cut Dom in two. When she reached the monster she passed right through it like a specter. She turned around and stared at the black beast in total disbelief. It didn't even seem to notice her. It continued its rampage around her camp, killing all who crossed its path.  
  
Kel felt helpless, her worst fear had come true. All the people she had looked after for so long being slaughtered in front of her eyes. She cried out in anguish.  
  
Kel sat up in bed with sweat pouring down her body and tears cascading down her cheeks. It had been a dream, albeit a horrible one, but a dream all the same. It was about four-thirty in the morning and Kel knew it was useless to try to go back to sleep, so she got out of bed and grabbed her glaive to start a complex pattern dance.  
  
Suddenly the horn blew to signal an attack. Kel quickly got dressed in her armor and raced out to the wall. Merric was already there waiting for her and giving defensive commands.  
  
"What's going on?" Kel shouted to Merric over the noise of the refugees readying for battle.  
  
"Raiders from Scanra. About fifty," he replied just as loudly.  
  
"BOWS!" Kel bellowed in her most Raoul-like voice. "READY.FIRE!!" she roared. A wave of arrow launched over her head and to both sides of her. She saw many of the invaders go down with arrows lodged in various places. "AGAIN!" she shouted once more, and another stream of arrows whisked overhead. More men fell.  
  
They had reached the wall and were moving ladders into position. The Scanran archers let their bolts fly to cover the ascending men. Kel heard scattered screams.  
  
"POLES! I NEED POLES!" Merric hollered at the defenders. The refugees quickly retrieved long wooden poles to push the ladders off of the walls. Many succeeded, a few had been too slow and attackers had breeched the walls, but were having little success. After a few skirmishes on the walls, the battle had been won.  
  
"Not.bad for.our first.battle," panted Merric wiping his blade clean of blood. Kel did the same catching her breath as she did.  
  
A man with a shallow leg wound limped over to Kel to report the damage. "No dead, but a dozen or so badly wounded, my lady," he reported to her.  
  
"Is Sir Nealan in the infirmary already?" she asked the young soldier. He nodded. "Good. Round up all the healers or hedge witches in the camp and get them working. We don't want to lose anyone if we can help it." He nodded briskly and jogged away as fast as his injured leg would carry him.  
  
Kel looked around anxiously for familiar faces. Then she realized that she wasn't looking for any familiar face, but Dom's. She quickly found him tending to a patient bleeding heavily from a chest wound. He caught her eye and winked. She smiled in return; all memories of the previous night's encounter forgotten.  
  
"Merric?" she asked.  
  
"Yes?" he replied.  
  
"Get a squad together and search the woods. I'll get a group together to collect their dead and burn them. The last thing we need is some foreign disease spreading through the camp."  
  
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That evening Kel went looking for Dom to apologize, but she couldn't find him. She first went to the infirmary to see if he was still tending patients, but Neal told her he had left earlier entirely worn out. Next she checked his rooms, but he wasn't there either. Kel asked around, but no one had seen him for at least an hour. She finally gave up retired to her study.  
  
"Hello Kel," Dom said mildly from her seat behind her desk. He looked terrible. He had bloodstains on his shirt and was covered in scratches and dirt.  
  
"I was just looking for you," she replied to him wearily. "How are you holding up?"  
  
"Barely, actually. I feel like someone as hammered my head into my shoulders." He responded wincing slightly as she shifted his weight. "You?"  
  
"I'm alive at least," she told him. "About last night. I shouldn't have lost my temper." Dom put up a silencing hand.  
  
"Don't even mention it. We were both exhausted and edgy," he said to her in a matter-of-fact way that even she couldn't argue. Kel gave him a grateful smile. "I'm in your chair. Forgive me," he said gracefully, despite his stiffness, stood up and walked over to her. He kissed her gently and proceeded to bow extravagantly. "Good night, my lady."  
  
"Good night, good sir," she answered. He smiled at her and left. Closing the door quietly on his way out.  
  
  
  
Sorry it took so long dedicated readers, but I'm back in school and have homework to do and less time to write! Please R/R!! 


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